The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for cutting light waveguides which apparatus has a pair of clamping devices arranged in spaced relationship in a frame or housing, an anvil disposed between the clamping devices, a tensioning device acting on one of the clamping devices to place a clamped waveguide in axial tension and a notching device having a tool to notch the stressed waveguide to cause cutting thereof.
A method and device which uses a pair of clamps for clamping a waveguide, has an anvil disposed between the clamps with an arrangement for creating axial tension on the waveguide as it engages the anvil and is then notched by a tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,584 which is incorporated by reference and claims priority from German application No. 2,925,070. In this device, the light waveguide to be cut is placed in the open clamping devices which are positioned on opposite sides of an anvil. Then the clamping devices are closed and the light waveguide with the assistance of a tensioning device is placed in axial tension and engage the surface of the anvil. The light waveguide in this stressed condition is subsequently notched by a notching tool of a notching arrangement, which tool operates at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the waveguide, and the notching initiating the cutting operation. After cutting, the notching means and the tensioning means are returned to their initial positions so that the light waveguide and the portion of the light waveguide that have been cut off can be removed after the clamping devices have been opened.
The end faces of the cut light waveguides, however, usually do not exhibit the precision required for further processing so that it is necessary to subsequently prepare the end faces. Particularly when cutting monomode fibers, on the average only about 30% exhibit a usable end face which has an angular deviation from the cross-axially directed face amounting to less than 1% and the quality of end face not being deteriorated or degraded by notches, cracks or other irregularities. The attainable percentage of the usable end faces thereby also largely depend on the skill of the operator of the device because the quality of the end faces depends on the adjustments and on the manner of actuation of both the tensioning arrangement and notching arrangement.